What life or career advice would you give yourself 10 years ago?

If you're a CS student or software engineer: don't go for a grad degree (MS or PhD). Start work right out of college, whether it be at a startup or FAANG. Get some work experience, savings (and stock if you're lucky), you can always go back to higher education later if you want to, and that work experience will be worth it when you do go back.

I understand some might disagree with this advice, but having done a grad degree 10+ years ago, this is what I would advice my younger self.

Keep looking for new opportunities and keep growing. It’s very easy to focus on your work and develop strong expertise at one place, but this benefits your employer the most. Make sure that you focus on doing the things that help you.

Don't sell out to a corporate job while your young. move somewhere cool and then move again. once you start a family your dreams need to be measured against the rest of your families goals and dreams. and your kids usually out way everything.

personally, I would go do something in crypto, because honestly that's where most of the action is.

polygon, solana networks have low transaction fees. I imagine it will be a race to the bottom on network fees.

"Abandon computer science."

Of course, that's not super valuable advice now, sunken costs and all that. But there's nothing more depressing than entering a field with all kinds of hopes and dreams for the future, only to watch them get squashed by FAANG and ultimately realize that computers are a liability, not an opportunity.

Work at small startups to accelerate your growth then once confident start your own.

"Run Forest, run!"

Does this count? lol

Apart from the joke, I second @smoldesu 1000%.

Don't waste time reading too much news / non-useful trivia on the 'net. I may say that to myself in 10 years time of course. ;)

Work on something that is personally meaningful instead of looking for the highest paying job.

- Nothing that seemed super-important at the time was really that important.

- Don't stop going to the gym

Work at FAANG. The stock gains in the last 10 years alone would've allowed me to FIRE

Keep up the good work.

Listen to your friends pushing crypto, go all-in. Work more.